Info Needed for Sailing Hong Kong to Japan

[yzlian]

hi am new here. would like to join this thread and gain some wisdom. i sailed from new zealand to hong kong two years ago, worked there for some time and am about to sail to japan in spring 2010, preferably starting before mar 1. will likely sail to kaoshiung and keelung first. destination port is akita in nw coast of honshu island. any info regarding prevailing wind strength directions en route would be welcome. also would like the title of a good cruising guide for the trip. am already reading the sail-japan site, but right now my problem is getting there. many thanks.

my boat is a pacific seacraft 37.

[kiapa]

it's been a few years since we sailed those waters... but is imagine conditions haven't changed much over time. our experience was that it was brutally tough to sail NE during the winter and early spring. if you can wait until may, you're much more likely to find calm conditions or catch the first SW'erly of the season. good sailing!

[GordMay]

Atlas of Pilot Charts:
Pilot Charts depict averages in prevailing winds and currents, air and sea temperatures, wave heights, ice limits, visibility, barometric pressure, and weather conditions at different times of the year.
The Atlas of Pilot Charts set is comprised of five volumes, each covering a specific geographic region. Each volume is an atlas of twelve pilot charts, each depicting the observed conditions for a particular month of any given year.
The charts are intended to aid the navigator in selecting the fastest and safest routes with regards to the expected weather and ocean conditions.

Goto ➥ Maritime Safety Information
nga.mil/portal/site/maritime/?epi_menuItemID=a633978aca46a1625b2a7fbd3227a759

Indian Ocean
➥ Maritime Safety Information

South Pacific Ocean
➥ Maritime Safety Information

[yzlian]

thanks kiapa and gordmay. so, early march would still be NE on that route... could bearing away a bit from the headwinds and tacking a few times more make it more manageable, or was that the way you did it and still found it brutal? i have up to a month to do the trip if i start around mar 1. if i don't do it in march, i'd have to wait a year.

my destination is akita. i imagine it'd be somewhat better if i sail on the east side of the japan islands, and round into the strait between honshu and hokkaido (motoring if necessary) to get to the west coast?

[kiapa]

yzlian, the right answer here is going to be a function of your determination and the specifics of your boat & sails... for me, having sailed >40,000 blue water miles, raced HK to philippines (and back) twice, raced S.F. to Hawaii twice (and back) on pretty weatherly boats... i would NOT try to sail from HK to Japan except during the brief window between the NE monsoon and the typhoon season. cracking off would ease the short term pain, but would make the voyage incredibly long... and extend your exposure to the upwind bash.

if you are steadfast, and have alot of time... you could look at sailing to the philippines, coastal hope up to the north, wait for good weather to jump to off for kaohsiung, then work your way up east coast of taiwan, then take the big jump north. the shorter the hops, the longer it takes, but the more weather options you have. good sailing!

[bewitched]

I second Kiapa.

Sailing against the NE monsoon is not something I would do out of choice. (I have 20+ China Sea crossings - and a few more "attempted" crossings!!).

I friend of mine did try to go against it once - in a Roberts steely - Left Miri, Malaysia in January on starboard tack, changed tack when he saw Vietnam and after 2 weeks and a severe beating, arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia - just up the coast from where he started; only now with new sails to buy and quite a bit of damage to fix

Much better to postpone your trip a couple of months - wait until the NE monsoon has blown itself out - usually around May - and enjoy the trip

[yzlian]

hello kiapa and bewitched, many thanks for your valuable comments. yes, i do know my limits, and having heard from you, would most likely hold the trip off till 2011, when i can indeed use the weather window. (i can't do that in 2010, 'cause i will have to be in japan by april 1.)

but since we are on the topic, i'd like to ask for further advice. given a late april/may departure from hk for the nw coast of honshu, what route would you personally recommend? in particular, on which side of the taiwan strait and honshu would you or your experienced friends who had sailed hk-japan proceed? (for 2011, i can have up to a month and a half to make the trip, and can stop on my way rather frequently.)

my boat is quite sea-kindly, and hull speed is about 7.2 kts. i will be sailing either single-hand or short-handed.

many thanks!

[bewitched]

I haven't sailed to Japan personally, but I know someone who has delivered a number of boats up there - I'll PM you details